As friends and fans of Glee actor Cory Monteith struggle to cope with his July 13 death at the age of 31, the show's writers are facing questions about how they'll deal with the absence of his character, Finn Hudson, in the upcoming fifth season and beyond. The answer, according to costar Jane Lynch? Beautifully.

As previously reported, Glee's third episode of season five will be a tribute to both Monteith and his onscreen alter ego. Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said previously that the ep would "deal directly" with the late actor's death of heroin and alcohol toxicity, but series creator Murphy told Deadline recently that it would be more vague.

"There were a lot of things that we had to decide [for the memorial episode]," the Emmy-winning director explained. "At one point, we were going to have [Cory's] character die after an accidental drug overdose -- that was something we had considered. But we have decided that we're not going to have him pass from that."

"I think it turned out to be a lovely tribute, and it's a very heartfelt look at how young people grieve," he added. "After that, we're going to take two weeks or three weeks down to get our heads together because it's been a really hard thing to write. We loved Cory and we loved Finn and it feels like a huge loss and a huge heartache not to have either of them around."

Indeed, Lynch told Us Weekly on Aug. 10 that it was hard to get back to work with a member of the Glee family so conspicuously missing. "Everybody's doing differently," she shared. "You know, it's tough."

"Everybody had a relationship with him and we all express our grief in different ways so I'll only speak for myself," she continued. "I love him and I honor [him], and every day I go to work, I walk by his trailer and I go, 'He should be in there.'"

Add a Comment

Sign Up for the Us Weekly Newsletter!

Please enable javascript to sign up for the newsletter.

You will receive the latest news and updates on your favorite celebrities!